Delia Derbyshire

Delia Derbyshire
Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Background information
Birth nameDelia Ann Derbyshire
Born(1937-05-05)5 May 1937
Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Died3 July 2001(2001-07-03) (aged 64)
Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
GenresElectronic music, musique concrète, library music
OccupationComposer
Years active1959–2001
Websitedelia-derbyshire.org

Delia Ann Derbyshire (5 May 1937 – 3 July 2001)[1] was an English musician and composer of electronic music.[2] She carried out notable work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960s, including her electronic arrangement of the theme music to the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who.[3][4] She has been referred to as "the unsung heroine of British electronic music",[3] having influenced musicians including Aphex Twin, the Chemical Brothers and Paul Hartnoll of Orbital.[5]

  1. ^ Hodgson, Brian (7 July 2001). "Obituary: Delia Derbyshire". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. ^ Wrench, Nigel (18 July 2008). "Lost tapes of the Dr. Who composer". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  3. ^ a b Andy Kellman. "Delia Derbyshire". AllMusic.
  4. ^ "An Adventure in Space and Time – Delia Derbyshire – BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ Jones, Josh (7 January 2016). "The Fascinating Story of How Delia Derbyshire Created the Original Doctor Who Theme". Open Culture. Retrieved 9 June 2019. her electronic music, recorded under her own name and with the band White Noise, influenced "most every current legend in the business—from Aphex Twin and the Chemical Brothers to Paul Hartnoll of Orbital"